Jesus' Example

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 3

There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again,, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9 “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.

10 “Are you a teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied. 11 “Truly I tell you, we speak what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony. 12  If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.,

14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. 21 But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”

As we consider what it means to try and win the people we know to Christ, let us look at exactly how Jesus went about evangelizing this member of the sanhedrin in whom sincerity and timidity are seen struggling together.

Remember that we are currently desiring to each see one person give their life to Jesus over the next 3 weeks and get them lined up for baptism.

Before we get into the truths for today’s message, let me share this video about the power of trying to reach your One.

1. Jesus Knew His Audience

Nicodemus was a moral, religious man, one of the chief teachers of the Jews.

He came by night, a symbol of the unsaved man that he was.

Being religious and moral does not make a person fit for Heaven; the must be born again, that is born from above.

Jesus goes further to explain how well he knows Nicodemus in vs. 19

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 3

19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil

THIS HAS NOT CHANGED. The world is filled with darkness!

The world loves Darkness.

While God is calling people to the ministry, the world is calling people out of ministry and away from God.

This is why Jesus has called us to be the salt and the “LIGHT”

Jesus knows our audience and he knows that they are overcome with darkness but the more light we shine, the less darkness there will be.

Here is what you need to know about your audience.

They are lost.

They NEED the gospel.

They are going to tell you what think you want to hear

It is because of Number 3 that Jesus helped us understand that we often must do more than just ask a person if they are saved, or if they know Jesus.

2. Jesus Made Nicodemus Think

He could have simply told Nic. to trust in him and he would be born again but that wasn’t enough.

This is why we talk about how important it is to study the Word of God.

1 Peter 3:15 tells us that we are to be ready to always give a defense of what we believe and this will help you greatly when you are sharing the gospel.

3. Jesus took time for one.

Jesus didn’t have to stop for this one person. Especially because the chances that this man was going to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus was very unlikely because of his past!

Amen - This sound like a familiar story?

Well the chances of so and so actually given their life to Jesus is slime so its not worth sharing.

FRIEND IT IS ALWAYS WORTH SHARING!

Let me tell you the story of a man named Jeff.

Jeff’s wife spent 12 years praying for him to become the husband, and Christian leader that God had intended on him being.

Years and years, he wouldn’t even come to church.

He and I would up becoming friends during my time in TN as we shared a mutual love for hunting.

One day, on a Sunday morning I preached a message and Jeff raised his hand admitting that he was lost; but he did no walk the isle and make a decision.

I asked him what he was waiting on and he told me that he “did think that he could live the life that God expected from him.”

fast forward to Dec. 23

THEN THERE ARE PEOPLE LIKE THIS. VLAD.

so let me ask you again...

Who’s Your 1?